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Card Lores:One who Scatters Sin, Scharhrot
Monthly Bushiroad He is viewed as the most dangerous vampire of modern Dark Zone. He wields the power of "Mana Absorption", that allows him to drain every bit of power from an ordinary demonic lord in the blink of an eye. Mana Absorption is a formidable power that can seize the circulating mana of the target by merely touching, and the reason for the ability's natural occurrence remains unknown. Born with this power in a land without laws, he maintains his life by devouring powerful beings. Eventually, when he became a powerful being himself and was feared as a "Tyrant", many surrendered and swore loyalty to him. Initially, he thought of "eating all of them", but he left some as "emergency food". They mistook his action as acceptance of their loyalties as his subordinates, and they searched food for him even without an order, and even took care of his daily life. Perhaps triggered by his subordinates' actions, the Tyrant has changed a bit. At least, he chooses who to eat now. Monthly Bushiroad Short Novel (June 2017 Issue) An Odd Case in the Land of Everlasting Night "..." The nation notorious for being a ruleless land---Dark Zone. It is inhabited by psychics and warbeasts(beastmen) with illegally transplanted powers, humans and elves banished from their hometowns for their malicious thoughts, as well as powerful demons. "...Listig, you go." Magical power, psychic power, secular power---this is the land which put more emphasis on "power" than all other lands of Cray do. The weaklings are trampled to death like ants. Powerless beings are eliminated...this is the fate of those born in this nation. "...I am destined to become the close aide of Lord Scharhrot. I cannot afford to die before fulfilling my destiny. Brennen, I'll give way to you this time." In this nation, the weaklings have only one way to survive. That is to become the subordinates of a powerful being and live under their sovereignty. This is why, it is extremely important to choose the right master. "...Since you aim to become the close aide, you should stay closer to Lord Scharhrot. Now, Glanzend is away, this is a precious opportunity for you. All right, go now." Among the powerful beings, those with both extraordinary strength and a great number of subordinates are feared as "Demon Lord". In this nation, "Lord" is not a title for political leaders, but a synonym of beings with absolute strength. "...Though it is only a rumour, some said you may be rebellious, because you deliberately avoid meeting Lord Scharhrot." "What...who say that kind of things..." However, in these few centuries, fewer people proclaim themselves Demon Lords even if they possess the strength. The reason is simple, because more people notice the risks behind the title of Demon Lord. "...If you die a martyr, such suspicion would be gone immediately. This is an exceptional opportunity for vindication." The act of proclaiming oneself a Demon Lord implies a provocation to everyone in this nation, "This is my land, take it if you can." Once doing so, Demon Lords from everywhere in this nation would come to expel this newcomer. Even a temporary improvised coalition can root out the newcomer before he or she becomes a true threat. This is Dark Zone's current ideal state, and the reason why it has been in stagnation for a long time. This sounds contradictory to the aforementioned ruleless condition of this nation, but there are schemers in this nation. Those who toy with "schemes" give birth to the concept of "new power" which is totally different to mere "power" in the past. "...No, but..." In "Sonne Grab", the Land of Everlasting Night, stands a majestic castle. It is ruled by one of those powerful enough to possess the title of Demon Lord. His name is "Scharhrot". Rumour has it that he is the strongest vampire of modern times. Because of his power of "Mana Absorption", capable of seizing all mana from his target, his existence is feared as "The Tyrant". But now, this Tyrant was... "...Haa." Sitting on his throne, sighing. His cheeks sunk deeply due to depression. "...Look, what a pity to look at our Lord's form. Lord Scharhrot hasn't absorbed mana for three whole days. If you aren't moved even witnessing his worries, why don't you simply pronounce your rebellion!?" The pair peeping Scharhrot sneakily while hiding behind the pillars were both Scharhrot's subordinates. The boy making a long-winded speech was "Listig". "...You're right, I suppose." And the young man with an earnest look was "Brennen". They were vampires who swore loyalty to Scharhrot due to different reasons. And they looked worrying about Scharhrot, who looked unusual... "W, well...I shall go." "Humph. This is what a true loyalist should do. All right, go and find out Lord Scharhrot's worries!" Incited by Listig's words, Brennen showed up in front of Scharhrot. "L, Lord Scharhrot!" Though he had made the decision, Brennen's feet were trembling, and his voice cracked. That couldn't be helped. This is because Brennen had actually witnessed the fate of Scharhrot's prey. They were his previous lord and colleagues...only he was saved by Scharhrot's whim. After that, he lived in undispellable fear, that he would one day be eaten as well. "S, should you, should you have any w, worries..." But, if he could show his loyalty, he might no longer be classified as a candidate of prey. Nevertheless, if he failed, he might be killed on the spot. To Brennen, he was "prepared to be killed" to ask Scharhrot the question. "...gry." "Huh...? W, what had you said?" Though he did show up in front of Scharhrot, there was still some distance between them. Scharhrot spoke in whispers that Brennen could not hear well. To hear it clearly, Brennen closed the distance step by step, his forehead sweating like showering. "...ngry." "I, beg your pardon?" The distance was shortened more. Brennen put his ear near Scharhrot's lips and tried his best to hear. Finally, he heard his Lord's sincere wish. "I, am hungry." -------"That's hard to handle..." "Hmmm..." After knowing Scharhrot's wish, his brave subordinates sought for his "food" immediately. However, after they caught humans living in villages nearby, "...Not these." Scharhrot's refused to receive their tribute. "Then use this!" They brought him a magical car filled with mana. "...No." Scharhrot turned his head away. "After all, what kind of food did Scharhrot like... Anyway, if we can't present something for him to eat..." "But, he has been eating as he pleases. He never eats anything he doesn't like." "...ck." "Hmm? What did you say?" "Nothing, you see?" "But I did hear..." At the moment Brennen and Listig turned to the window next to them, "O Lord Scharhrot! Your most loyal servant has returned!" The glass of the window was shattered, and in midst of the splash of shiny shards, a man leapt into the building. "G, Glanzend..." "Ouch! The shards hurt me!" This young man stepping on glass shards and yelling of being hurt was "Glanzend", the close aide of Scharhrot. Although he did not always stay with Scharhrot, he was a powerful vampire with strength just beneath Scharhrot among the followers. "Humph... you've been away when Lord Scharhrot is in need. You put shame on your title of close aide. I assume you've achieved something, at least?" Listig disliked Glanzend and kept complaining in anxiety. Glanzend had been rolling on the ground, but stood up immediately and stared at Listig when he heard Listig's words. "For sure! I, Glanzend, am a gentleman, and did not go out and do nothing but playing!" "...Oh, then can I learn about your achievement?" Listig sat on a chair nearby, and Glanzend sat opposite to him. Suddenly, Glanzend's comical facial expressions vanished. And that was done in a blink of an eye. "Then, let me start---" "Oh, Mr. Glanzend. A shard of glass is stuck to your forehead. Let me take it out for you." "It hurts!" And the comical facial expressions emerged again, also in a blink of an eye. -------"...So, Lord Scharhrot has awakened as a gourmet." "I have learnt that. So, what have you been doing these days?" "I'm picking ingredients that Lord Scharhrot would like!" "Ingredients?" "Recently, I have been away with Lord Scharhrot, and I have gone to check that thing eaten by Lord Scharhrot...more precisely, the leftover of that thing." "Ooh...As expected from Mr. Glanzend. You're truly worthy of the title of a close aide." "Hohohohohohoho, Brennen, even if you praise me, I can't give you any gift." In fact, Glanzend was of extraordinary capabilities. He is a perfect close aide, leave his bizarre personality aside. Without him, Scharhrot would not have followers or territories. Scharhrot would have been treated as more threatening than he currently is, and might have been defeated by armies from other nations. "Then, let's end the chit chat here." "Hmm. We must find food which Lord Scharhrot would like to take. We should depart immediately..." Listig was in a hurry, but Glanzend stood up and wagged his finger. "No, no, no. Listig, you don't need to be so nervous." "What're you talking about?" "I have picked the prey. Hohoho, it should be the time for the prey to reach this castle..." He looked at the window he had broken, and spoke with a proud smile. -------"Dang, what is this place... all directions look the same despite being on land." A girl was wandering in the forest of Dark Zone. "The sun should have risen, but it's so dark, eerie it is... but quite good for a vampire." The girl wielded excellent night vision that allowed her to act and move in the dark forest without any difficulty. "Dang, that wretched fireball magic that blasted me to this forest! I shall seek out that mage and beat him...!" The girl looked angry. In fact, she had been complaining since entering the forest. "Hey! Francesca, where're you!?" "---are you---" The girl's voice echoed in the hollow forest. And she was responded with nothing but the echo. "---Where!!" The girl vented her anger upon a tree, and she kicked away the tree thicker than her. The tree fell down with a cracking sound. What a formidable kicking power. "I'm hungry! I wanna drink blood! I wanna return to the sea! I wanna take a bath!" The girl suddenly got mad and blew away trees one by one. Several minutes later, she found her view opened. "Haa... haa... hmm?" Her rampage opened a new scenery. "Is that, a castle? Old-fashioned it is..." She squinted at the castle, and found something lighting at the top of the forest. "Oh, light? Seems there's someone. Well, I shall take a rest. Maybe I can get some blood... something over there smells good." The girl's sharp fangs were reflecting. Yes, she is a vampire, though she isn't a resident of this nation. "Be prepared, bumpkin demons of Dark Zone! Become the blood and flesh of Nightrose the Great!... just kidding." She was "Nightrose", the captain of "Nightrose Pirates", of the Great Pirate Coalition Granblue. She was heading to the castle which was inhabited by those of the same race. -------Meanwhile, in Scharhrot's castle, Listig was making preparations for capturing the prey. "The magic circles of capture have been set. All prey who step on my magic circles cannot escape! Kukuku..." "Is that really okay? Your magical knowledge is nothing but copying from magical tomes which you cannot understand..." "Understanding or not isn't important. What's important is to soak one's soul in the seas of knowledge, like these magical tomes, to waken the magical power slumbering in oneself!" "I, is that so? If you're so confident, I'll leave it to you. You have my trust." Originally, this kind of work should be done by Brennen. But this time, Listig insisted on taking the job, so Brennen left it to him. It was likely that Listig would like to make use of this opportunity to gain Scharhrot's recognition. "Kukuku... rest assured like on the Fairwind." "Isn't that a ship missing for a long time?" Listig had filled the castle's entrance with magic circles. The size of one magic circle could capture two humans. That was the ideal size, for he could not activate bigger magic circles. So he set magic circles everywhere the prey could step onto. "Well, this should be enough!" "One hundred in total... I'm surprised that you can draw so many magic circles in this short period of time." "This is because I practise drawing magic circles every day." Just as Listig wiped the sweat away from his forehead, the castle gate opened. "What, it has arrived!? Magic circles, activate!" "Aaaauurrgh! I'm stuck in here!" "M, Mister Glanzend..." It was not the prey, but Glanzend. Listig looked at Glanzend, wriggling his body as he was caught by the power of the magic circle, and deactivated that magic circle in disappiontment. "Hohoho... nice mana, that is. Listig, your mana has improved a lot." "Close your mouth. One day I'll purge you somewhere outside Lord Scharhrot's sight." "I'm looking forward to that day." "Mister Glanzend, why did you go out?" "I had been keeping an eye on the prey. Oh, and I guided her way as well." Glanzend answered and showed them the wound on his wrist. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but one could tell that the wound was deep. "You used blood to attract the prey, that said... is the prey a vampire?" "Nice answer! My eyes couldn't be wrong, that must be the best prey." "But, does its quality suit Lord Scharhrot's taste?" Normal users of Mana Absorption favour mana of high quality. But, Scharhrot had begun seeking delicious food, and became a bit special---he could only take mana from "prey with evil souls". This was summarized by Glanzend who analyzed Scharhrot's feeding habits. "It can't be wrong. That vampire girl seemed to be the captain of a pirate band." "Pirate... I see, she must be extremely evil. And I expect a captain would have a fitting purity of mana." "That's right!" "Wait. The information is so detailed. Why don't you simply catch her? Are you afraid, by any chance?" "This is to make sure everything goes right. If the target is a vampire at captain-level, I find it better to attack her altogether rather than attacking only by myself." "Humph... so be it. But, leave the prey caught by the magic circles to me. I shall sacrifice her to Lord Scharhrot on my own." "Hohoho... you can have the honour, for sure." "Hush... both of you, someone's coming." The castle gate opened again. -------"Hey, open the door. I know there's someone here." Nightrose entered the castle carefreely. She detected the presence of living beings, and found only a few. Too few for a castle this size. (Perhaps, the castle is too old for many people to live here.) Thinking that, she entered the hall nonchalantly. She didn't even notice that she had stepped on the magic circles of capturing prey. "Fool, I've caught you!" Listig clenched his fist filled with mana. That was the activation signal of the magic circle. But, "Listig, what're you doing? Activate it, quickly!" "No, I've been trying... Urgh, why!? Why isn't it activating...!" "Hmm?" Glanzend finally noticed, "Oh! When I was caught, my boot scratched the magic circle. " "You jerk---" "Hush... keep silent. We still have a chance. Prepare for the next one." "Urgh... I shall catch her next time." "Ohh, the kitchen's here. Is the fragrance coming from here? No, that should be the smell of blood..." Nightrose had luckily stayed away from the first magic circle, and walked from the hall to the kitchen. Although several magic circles were set on the road, the corridor was too wide for Listig's magic circles. Listig had set the magic circles in the middle of the corridor, but Nightrose walked on small pathways, and entered the kitchen without stepping on any magic circle. "Hmm, this isn't the right way... I should simply follow that fragrance, I suppose." So, she left the kitchen not from the door she had entered, but a smaller door. But, a magic circle was set there. "That's your end...! Hah!" Listig clenched his fist so strongly that his claws almost stuck into the flesh. However, "...Why isn't it responding?" "I, Impossible!? That woman was standing on my magic circle..." "Hmm?" Once again, Glanzend noticed the problem. "No! You've made a typo on the magic circle's formula, so the magic circle isn't working!" "What did you say---!?" "Hush...! Listig, that's okay. We still have over half of the magic circles to go." "Hmm, hmm..." -------After that, Nightrose stepped on many magic circles, but none of them worked, due to mistakes or accidents. "Why... why..." "Come on, Listig!" Listig's mind was wandering, and he could do nothing but repeat the word "why" like a machine. Brennen tried to wake him up by shaking him, but that wasn't working. Listig was likely shocked by the fact that he had spent a lot of effort to set up the magic circles, but his efforts ended up futile. "Hmm?" "Mr Glanzend, what's happening this time?" "Something's approaching us." "Something, what---" Just as Brennen wanted to ask, the wall behind him exploded. Brennen immediately carried the absent-minded Listig to flee from the center of the explosion. "That's really surprising." "Who are you!?" As if answering Brennen's question, three shadows showed up from the dust. "I am Lord Amon's follower, Hateful Cyclone!" The cyclone blew away the dust. The boy standing on the right, with a look of great vigor, shouted out his name. "Of the same faction, Audios Thunder." The green-haired young man said his name silently after the boy. And finally, "Hoho, My name is Bufstare, the vallation of Amon... Lord Amon. I am the loyalest follower of Lord Amon." The short young girl standing in the center bowed, and made an evil smile. "A question I've become tired of asking, but anyway, why do you come to this place?" "Stupid question, isn't it? We've come to claim the ownership of Sonne Grab, and purge the weak vampires in passing." "Ohohohohoho, this girl said something amusing." Glanzend said he was amused, but his eyes showed no humour. "Those outside the castle are too weak! You guys must make us enjoy!" "They are incompetent, even though that's ambush." Hateful Cyclone rubbed his fists, Audios Thunder twisted his waist. They locked on Listig and Brennen as their respective opponents, so that Bufstare could duel with Glanzend. "Wake up, Listig." "What!? This is... what's this situation?" "All three of those standing in front of us are enemies." "Okay, I see! Brainless idiots, you should understand your foolishness of standing in my way!" Listig resumed his senses and made the declaration, and the place became a battlefield in waiting. Should one of them made a move, the battle would begin. And, the first person to move was, "Ohh~What! There's someone here!" The first person to move was Nightrose, who came to the place after hearing the explosion. All other people looked at her. And, their next moves were the same. "You're residents of this castle, I say? I'd like---" All six of them attacked Nightrose simultaneously. The obstacle must be removed in the first place---that's the common sense of Dark Zone inhabitants. But, "---to get some blood... this isn't peaceful, I'd say." Their opponent was no common man. Nightrose dodged all of their attacks. Then she caught the heads of Hateful Cyclone and Audios Thunder, who were standing closest to her. She clashed both heads to each other and knocked out both of them. "Hee..ah!" After that, she closed the distance with Brennen and Listig with a jump. Before they could make a scream, she knocked them with her right fist and left knee. "W, who are you!?" Bufstare generated a magical barrier for defense, but Nightrose swung down her cutlass with overwhelming force, and crushed the barrier easily. "W, wait---" She used the back of her cutlass to knock Bufstare into the wall. "Who am I... I'm the captain." Nightrose knocked out strong psychics and vampires in the blink of an eye. Because she always plays with the Grandcaptain, some may mistake her as a weakling with only a pretty face. In truth, "Nightrose Pirates" have grown to be high-ranked among Granblue, and the captain had no way of losing to opponents of this level. "Marvelous! What an awesome girl!" "I've met you before, haven't I?" "Hmm? I don't recall that. Maybe you've met someone who looks like me?" "Humph, never mind. Then, what? You want a fight?" Nightrose was excited seeing a powerful opponent. She held her cutlass with her slender hand, placing it on her shoulders and provoked. "...No, let peace be with us. I am afraid I can't defeat you on my own, and---" Glanzend shot a glance at those knocked out by Nightrose. All of them were unconscious, but they received no lethal damage. "---my Lord would not like this kind of blood... Seems that my judgment is wrong." "...? I don't get it. Anyway, can't you speak in a normal fashion?" "...Oh, sorry for my gaffe." "Nothing, never mind." -------After that, Nightrose left the castle and headed to the sea, after taking a break. (But, that guy's blood's really delicious.) Nightrose's stamina and mana had recovered, after receiving Glanzend's blood. She got relieved even on the land. (It's been a long time since I drank blood of this purity. I feel I can walk for eternity without feeling tired.) Unlike entering in lost, Nightrose walked straightly. She should be able to see the sea, sooner and later. As she expected, ""A~ne~ki!"" "Oh, Tommy Brothers! That said," ""Exactly! We're almost on the seaside!"" "I'm returning, finally..." ""We've been looking for you for a long time~! You suddenly flew into the forest with Little Fran. Aneki, when have you begin liking the land so much?"" "Call me captain. I didn't fly there because I liked it. Really... Ah, right! Fran! Is Francesca alright!?" Nightrose had forgotten because she was dragged in the mess. She wandered in the forest because she wanted to find Francesca. She caught one of the Tommies and questioned him in a panic. "Guuaaaaaa..." "Ah, bro!? Aneki, stay calm! Little Fran has already returned to the ship!" "Really!?...Oh, that's so good..." Nightrose calmed down and sat on the land. The released Tommy rolled on the ground, his face turned pale. "That child seems to have the habit of walking to the shore." "What kind of habit is it... oh, that said, Little Fran isn't the one to get lost." "Aneki is." "...Call me captain." Nightrose's response was slower than usual. Both her body and mind were tired. ""Anyway, let us leave here now! Come, sit on our shoulders, and we shall return to the ship."" "How come you have shoulders... you don't look calm, what has happened?" ""Before Aneki's return, those guys of 'Gear Chronicle' have been moving around in this area."" "That's unusual. Those guys show their faces in front of us, the pirates? What're they doing?" ""We don't know their objective, but they have salvaged a man like a mage from the sea."" "A mage! That must be... the culprit who blew us away...!" Nightrose's face turned fierce. Her aggressiveness had returned, likely because she learnt of the culprit of blowing her into the forest. ""Biiii!?... A, Aneki...?"" "Call me captain! Find out that mage, so I can beat him...! You two, tell me his characteristics!" ""Y, yes ma'am!"" -------"I had been worried what would have happened... anyway, good to see that all of you look well." After Nightrose left the castle, Glanzend sat and enjoyed wine alone. "I, Listig and the castle, none of us look well..." Brennen uttered his complaints while taking care of the unconscious Listig. Only Glanzend and the window he was sitting on looked well, the other places were filled with debris. "Ahem, that pirate girl is wise, that helps a lot." "Both of us were beaten by her..." The subordinates of Amon, also beaten by Nightrose, fled as soon as they woke up. Bufstare said, "This is only a strategic retreat! Next time, we will definitely take this land!" This was the first time Glanzend heard this sentence. But they fled so quickly mainly because Glanzend treated Nightrose as a guest. If they tried to fight in front of Nightrose, they might have been defeated in a second. "Anyway, that's a good result." "...okay, alright. Let's begin tidying." Brennen shrugged his shoulders. After that, they had to tidy up the debris, form security teams once again, and do loads of other work. There wasn't a lot of time for uttering complaints. "Hmm?" "What is it now?" "I say... have we forgotten something very important?" "Something very important?" They kept quiet for a while. And they recalled, looked at each other, and shouted. "Aarrgghh!" -------"I'm, hungry..." Category:Lores